Akhtar Balouch, also known as the Kiranchi Wala, ventures out to bring back to Dawn.com’s readers the long forgotten heritage of Karachi. Stay tuned to this space for his weekly fascinating findings..

In the not so distant past of our beloved city of Karachi, there existed a Freemason Hall, where the fraternity would hold its sessions on a regular basis. It’s hard to believe, but the building is still there to be seen near Fawara Chowk (Fountain Square).

Fawara Chowk is located in Saddar on Abdullah Haroon Road (previously Victoria Road). On one end of the square is an old Protestant church, the Trinity Church, while on the other end is the Governor House. The square also leads to the State Life Building, one of the skyscrapers of Karachi, and the Jaffar Brothers’ building, an unusual structure that looks somewhat like a multi-storied boat.

The building

If you head over to the Arts Council from this square, you will also pass by the Institute of Foreign Affairs, the first building on your left. Right next to this institute is an old, colonial structure, a building that effuses an aura of another time, another era of the history of Kolachi.

A distinct eeriness surrounds this old structure. There's always a small number of cars parked by the entrance. During winters, an old, the weary gatekeeper can be seen sitting a few yards from the locked entrance, basking in the warm sunlight. The melancholic trees around it seem to be lamenting how no passer-by sits under their shade.

This is the building of the Freemason Hall — the Hope Lodge. Not many know about the Freemasons and the Hope Lodge, and when I tried to do some digging, whoever happened to know anything about them had an unfavourable disposition towards Freemasons.

Most Muslim researchers and authors think that the Freemasons were a fraternity funded and promoted by the Jewish [lobby]. This is, however, far from the truth. Interestingly, before and after partition, the Freemasons always had more than one Muslim member.

Some of the names on a plaque at the Hope Lodge might surprise us. One of the well-known Muslim names from the pre-partition Karachi is that of Jam Ayoub Aliani. The names of two other Muslims can also be seen here. One is M. M. R. Sherazi, while the other is M. G. Hassan.

Jam Ayoub was only a member of the organisation, while the other two had held office.

Among the Hindu Freemasons are W. F. Bhojwani and K. P. Advani, while the Parsi members include D. F. Setna.

He was a sincere friend, a jolly fellow and a man of the liberal school of thought. I had the pleasure of working with him in the municipality, the local board, the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu, Young Men’s Muslim Association, Freemasonry, Sindh Madrassa Board and Sindh Mohammadan Association.

Jam Ayoub’s name is inscribed on the plaque at the Hope Lodge, but Saaien G. M. Syed’s name is nowhere to be found, despite Syed having admitted to have worked with Jam Ayoub in the Freemasons.

According to my historian friend Aqeel Abbas Jafri, even Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was a member of the Freemason fraternity. Ajmal Kamal, a renowned scholar, seconds Jafri’s claim.

The history

In his book Karachi Taareekh Kay Aaaenay Main, Muhammad Usman Damohi writes about Jam Ayoub and the Freemasons:

With the permission of King George V, Jam Ayoub became the Vice Counsel to Iran in June 1894. He remained in this position until 1927. In those days, the Freemasons’ activities were in full swing. The fraternity would often hold cultural events and programmes in Karachi. Jam Ayoub was an honorary member of the organisation… In those days, the motives of the Freemasons were a secret...

The historical origin of the Freemasons is rather obscure and mysterious, which — combined with the somewhat secretive nature of their rituals — has led to much conjecture and conspiracy theories about their activities around the world. Their meetings involve old symbolic rituals that have been carried forward for hundreds of years. The fraternity operates from very loosely connected "grand lodges", and "lodges" which are centres of activity and meeting-places. Each independent grand lodge has its own jurisdiction. A symbol always found in these lodges is that of the 'compass' and the 'square', pointing literally or metaphorically to the tools of a mason (or stone-cutting).

But is it right to assume these were exclusively Freemason symbols?

To that question, my photojournalist friend Akhtar Soomro responded with a resounding “no!” He showed me a picture with an aerial view of the General Post Office building in Lahore. The picture showed a collection of Freemason symbols incorporated into the colonial architecture.

So the question is, could the Freemasons be so influential as to have their symbols engraved into the architecture of new, high-profile constructions?

To the best of my knowledge, however, apart from the Freemason Hall (Hope Lodge), there are no other buildings in Karachi which have any Freemason symbols incorporated into their architecture or design. If the Freemasons are working for the rights of the Jews, then other buildings should also have displayed these symbols. In addition, the symbols of Judaism and Freemasonry bear no resemblance to each other whatsoever.

There are a number of old buildings in Pakistan, especially in Karachi, of colonial origins that were designed by European Christian and Jewish architects.

I do request the readers to inform me if they spot any such symbols anywhere in Karachi on buildings or locations.

The ban

What happened to the Freemason fraternity in Pakistan is another tragic tale altogether.

Daily Dawn dated July 19, 1973 has a news report that would interest you here. Its heading: 'Freemason Hall in City taken over'.

It is reported that a team led by a Magistrate seized the Freemason Hall on behalf of the Government of Sindh. The team also confiscated all documents and other material in the building. The report goes on to say:

The cornerstone of the first ‘lodge’, i.e. the Hope Lodge in Karachi was laid in 1843. The first Governor of Sindh Charles Napier was also made an honorary member of the organisation. The government acted on the people’s demands and information provided by a rebel group in the Freemason organisation. The common understanding is that the Freemasons are Jewish-inspired and anti-Islam.

A report on a website that provides some information about the ban on Freemasons in Pakistan says that on June 16, 1983, all illegal activities of Freemasons were banned under the Martial Law Regulation 56. However, Freemasons continued their activities in secret. Then on December 29, 1985, the ban was extended to any and all Freemason activities in the country.

In 1965, Government of Pakistan had banned military servicemen from becoming members of the Freemason fraternity, the Rotary Club or the Lions’ Club. In 1969, this ban was expanded to cover all public servants, generalising the ban as a restriction from becoming a member of any organisation or fraternity whose aims and objectives were not publicly known.

The question is, when was the Freemason fraternity banned in the country for the first time; 1972, 1973 or 1983?

I asked my lawyer friend Younus Shad to help me in finding the answer. He was able to acquire a copy of the Martial Law Regulation which ordered the ban on Freemasons in Pakistan.

It is titled 'MARTIAL LAW REGULATION BY CHIEF MARTIAL LAW ADMINISTRATOR (Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, Part I, 17th June 1983) No 56':

Section (1) states that any law or judicial decision before this regulation stands null and void.

Section (2) states that an organization, commonly known as the Freemason [organization] is declared a banned outfit and stands disbanded.

Section (3) states that all properties owned by the outfit are handed over to respective provincial governments.

Section (4) states that no claim will be entertained in regards to the properties seized.

Section (5) states that the organisation will not be eligible of petitioning any court of law in the country.

Section (6) states that the provincial governments can ask the federal government for help in the matter.

Section (7) states that any obstruction in the implementation of the regulation can lead to a sentence of three years in prison with fine.

Four years ago, Mike Bruce, a senior manager from an international non-profit institution approached my friend Mazhar Laghari. He wanted to visit the Hope Lodge. Mazhar asked me to help with this. I was caught up with some other things and requested my friend Amar Guriro to help Mike.

That evening, the city of lights was drowned in darkness. Using the torch in his mobile phone, Amar took Mike to the hall and showed him around.

Mike was only able to see the Star of David and the plaque with the members’ names. He was stunned that Pakistan’s history did not have a single word about the fraternity.

After a few months, I met Mike and told him that there was a Jewish cemetery near the Mewa Shah Graveyard. I also informed him about the synagogue in the city and that at least a dozen buildings in Karachi had the Star of David in incorporated into their structures somewhere.

Mike Bruce dreams of a Pakistan where he could enjoy enough religious freedom to be able to visit all such buildings in broad daylight. He had visited the Freemason Hall as if he were spying on it. His organisation strictly advises him not to get out of his hotel after dark.

Researcher and novelist Dan Brown has mentioned how important buildings in the US, including the Congress Library in Washington D.C. and the White House have the Star of David evident in the architecture in more than one place. He even claims how the dollar note has such a symbol on it.

Dan Brown and other researchers claim that the founder and the first President of the United States of America, George Washington was a member of the Secret Brotherhood of the Freemason fraternity. Even Leonardo Da Vinci they claim, was a member of the brotherhood.

We will share some more information about the Freemason Hall in Karachi in the next episode.

(To be continued...)

Translated by Aadarsh Ayaz Laghari

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!

Popular novelist Dan Brown and some researchers claim that the founder and first President of the United States of America, George Washington, was a member of the Secret Brotherhood of the Freemason fraternity. According to them, even Leonardo Da Vinci, a well-known figure of the Renaissance, was a member of the brotherhood.

One important contributor to the history of art related to this fraternity is the sculptures of the great Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Bernini made these sculptures for Rome and Vatican on special orders from the new pope, Pope Urban VIII. Although receiving patronage from the pope, he incorporated certain Judaist symbols into his sculptures. In fact, some of these works subtly mock the Papal seal. Bernini’s work can still be seen in Rome.

One of the Freemasons of our own and dear Karachi is Jeevan.

Jeevan had humble beginnings and interestingly took his first breaths within the walls of the Freemason Hall (Hope Lodge). 75 year-old Jeevan’s father was the first employee of the Freemason Hall. When his father passed away, Jeevan’s brother took over the job. He too died soon after. It was then Jeevan’s turn to serve the Freemason Hall.

The interior of the Freemason Hall, or the Hope Lodge. — Photo by Akhtar Balouch

At first, Jeevan was quite hesitant to speak to me. He did open up gradually, though. In his words, I could sense the mixed joy and sadness which these memories brought to him.

A. I’ve been through these interviews before. The lawyer has stopped me from saying anything. I’m told that enough has been said already.

Q. How old are you?

A. 74 years.

Q. Is this quarter your birthplace?

A. Yes.

Q. What was your father’s name?

A. They called him Prabhu. I reckon that’s his name.

Q. You’ve served 74 years here. Can you speak a little about the pre and post-partition days and what went on then?

A. Back then, it wasn't like this at all. There was no traffic, just more horse wagons. What else do you want to know?

Members and activities

Q. I want to know what used to happen here. Were there any parties?

A. There were no parties here. These rooms you can see, these were their offices. One of them was their drawing room. Another was their storeroom, while another was a kitchen. Lastly, one room was for the ladies.

Folks would come in the evening and dine in. There wasn’t much more to it. Our own ones (the locals) were always in a small number. Mostly, it would be foreigners. They all went away gradually. Only six or seven remained. It was [the year] 1973. Actually, no one came to stay here permanently. Each one used to work for some big company.

There was an assigned secretary, treasurer and so on. These people would visit regularly and run it [the organisation].

Q. The plaque has the names of Jam Ayoub and Shirazi sahib. Did these people come here often?

A. They must have been visitors from my father’s time here. This organisation always had someone at the helm. After my father passed away, the place was passed down to me and things kept going on.

The plaque with the names. — Photo by Akhtar Balouch

I was born here. I have four sons and three daughters and all of them were born here. The conservationists did some rehabilitation of the building. The building is from 1842. Back in those days, its office-holders would care for its cleanliness a lot. That’s why the building is still standing, you know. 1842 was a long time ago. Those people really took care of this building. They wouldn’t take a moment in ordering for a fix whenever anything was broken. And now, look at this place!

Q. These trees here, are these the same old trees?

A. (Pointing in the direction of a tree) That one over there is the oldest. That bush straight ahead, with the berries and all, is over a hundred years old. You know what, one of my uncles is an engineer and lives in India. I went to see him in 1984 and he asked about the berries, the old man. He said he remembered the bush with the berries from 1974. He must have had some berries, that’s why he remembered. When I met him I told him it's still here!

Q. How much did the Freemasons pay you?

A. My pay was in the thousands. There were benefits as well, like medical insurance for me and my family.

Q. Some of the visitors of the hall that you remember?

A. There were a lot of them back in the day. But only a few remained afterwards. One of them was the oldest. He used to work in some big company. He lived on the Zeb-un-Nissa Street. He told the foreigners about me. Back then, we never had any problems. You know why? Because we were the authority. The area all around was just plain ground all the way till Fawara Chowk.

A. Nope. They would come in the evening and then be gone after a while. They would come around half-past-six in the evening. All of them would dine here, though.

Q. Was there a bar? Did they drink?

A. Yeah, they had their stuff. By eight or nine in the evening, they’d all be gone after having enjoyed a nice meal.

Q. Did they hold any events here?

A. There would be an occasional ladies’ night. In the beginning, they even had a school here.

Q. What happened in the ladies’ night?

A. Well, what do you think happened? There were women. They would eat and talk and so on.

Q. Could you go inside back then?

A. Yes, I went inside. But I didn’t go upstairs. We people did not have any business up there. They would come and go themselves. There was a regular meeting about the expenses.

Q. They call this place the haunted house or the magic house. Why?

A. Nothing like that. Some old folks call it the house of idols. All my friends and family folk know me as the idol house guy. If you tell them you want to see Jeevan, they’d not know who were you talking about. But you tell those folks you’ve come to see Jeevan the idol house guy, they’d bring you to my doorstep. Everybody knows me by that name, no matter what town or city they are in.

After the ban

Q. After the Freemasons were prohibited, did anyone get in touch with you?

A. Yes. The ban came on July 19, 1972. After that, I was jobless. Then a foreigner from the Freemasons came to see me. He was once the secretary here. The poor man met with me sometime between 1973 and 1974. He told me they had no money since all their accounts and assets had been frozen. He gave me a letter that said something about the labour law. Nothing happened after that. I still have the letter.

Q. Does someone [from the fraternity] still come see you?

A. Yes. Some people came from Delhi some time ago. It was a woman. She had a child with her. Don’t know how they came to know that I was a former employee. This was two, three years ago. People keep coming here occasionally.

Q. Were these visitors [from Delhi] Freemasons?

A. No. They had just come [to visit]. There has been a shooting (filming) here, too. Activities like that keep happening.

This road, you know, it was called the R. A. Line, meaning the Royal Air Force Line. They used to call it the Arya Line often.

Q. Was there anything else here apart from the Freemason Hall?

A. There was the YMCA and it was often thronged by people. Not much else.

Q. Did you face any problems after the ban on the Freemason fraternity?

A. The wildlife people sent me a notice of eviction in 1993. I wrote letters to the then Commissioner sahib, and a minister called Molana Kausar Niazia. I think that was the name. I told them everything.

Q. Where are you from in India?

A. No, I am from around here. My father was from Surat. My folks had come here in 1904. My mother used to work in the Tata mill there. Then they moved here. Amma would talk sometimes about how tough the move was from them. They came to Karachi and stayed with a relative they happened to have here in Sindh Club. They lived there for some time. Someone told them there was work at the Freemason Hall. Bapu (dad) knew Gujrati but the foreigners only knew English, of course.

I often wonder how Bapu managed to work with them folks. They didn’t know Gujrati or Urdu. They only knew English. They were all goray (white/foreigners). Bapu worked for these people for 45 years. I can’t imagine how he made it through even one day. He got paralysis later. But they [the employers] would have him treated here, even had a house for us.

Then my older brother replaced Bapu. Soon after my marriage, he passed away, too. Then they told me to start working. I used to work as a Clearing and Forwarding agent, but had to quit my job and work here — not because of the money, but because of the house.

Jeevan running from 'Wildlife'

This was Jeevan’s story. Despite all this, even now people are still trying to have Jeevan vacate his residence. The matter is currently in court. The lawyers’ expenses stemming from this legal dispute are a huge burden on Jeevan.

Jeevan also mentioned that people from abroad come visit the place from time to time, but he does not suspect that they are Freemasons. I cannot understand what foreign visitors or tourists would want to do with an old building. Most of Karachi does not know what this building was, so how would some foreigners know what it is is and where to find it? I briefly discussed one of these said foreigners, Mike Bruce, in the previous blog.

The new name of the Hope Lodge will be the Wildlife Museum. It is bewildering to me how easily history is changed with a few names. Gandhi Garden becomes the Zoological Garden, the Freemason Hall becomes the Wildlife Museum. But if Ram Bagh can become Aram Bagh, then I think they can even change Akhtar Balouch to something to their liking. I wonder how long Jeevan will be able to save his home in the Hope Lodge.

Hakim Bey: Don't just survive while waiting for someone's revolution to clear your head
Napoleon Bonaparte: The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people!